Report: Pension system needs overhaul

The Middlesex and Worcester countypension systems and the city of Fitchburg were each given a D rating and the city of Lowell received a C on a new ratings website by the Pioneer Institute, a research group that says it wants to bring new transparency and accountability to the state's pension systems.

so benefits to people who have worked all their lives is an issue but lifelong career freeloaders are ok? lets overhaul the welfare system, the EBT cards the Masshealth and the se8 system first!

I agree, we are paying for people who don't want to get out of bed until noontime and then hang out on their Section 8 porch. Our tax dollars pay for them to watch us drive by them.

Everyone pays for someone's pension anyways. Anytime you buy an item at the store you are paying for the CEO of that company's pension. Anytime you buy gas it is the same. Your utility bill pays for the pension of the CEOs of the utility company.

It is the freeloaders of welfare that needs to be taken away. Welfare was something nobody ever mentioned until everyone found out that most of them are using the system. Sorry the gig is up welfare people.

Welfare has been around since the 1800s and was started to help the elderly and those who couldn't afford to feed their children. Now it's grown into such a mess People are buying baskets full of food, X-Boxes, free housing, spending money... and these people have no intention of getting a job. When I was growing up people would be embarrassed to be on welfare today people consider it a lifestyle. Oh how far we have fallen.

so benefits to people who have worked all their lives is an issue but lifelong career freeloaders are ok? lets overhaul the welfare system, the EBT cards the Masshealth and the se8 system first!

Let's do both. With retirement benefits for municipal employees, it isn't the benefit, it's the richness of the benefit. Many of these people retire in their 50's with 80% of their pay. Try that in the private sector.

<quoted text>I agree, we are paying for people who don't want to get out of bed until noontime and then hang out on their Section 8 porch. Our tax dollars pay for them to watch us drive by them.Everyone pays for someone's pension anyways. Anytime you buy an item at the store you are paying for the CEO of that company's pension. Anytime you buy gas it is the same. Your utility bill pays for the pension of the CEOs of the utility company.It is the freeloaders of welfare that needs to be taken away. Welfare was something nobody ever mentioned until everyone found out that most of them are using the system. Sorry the gig is up welfare people.

Its us honest, hardworking people out in the private sector who are REALLY getting the shaft...we have the unemployed freeloaders over on one side and the overly compensated public state and local fatcats on the other side..the cops and their pension plans are a great example of what I am saying. Jeeze, even the cops who haven't moved on to the lavish lifestyle of a retired cop are overly compensated; especially when you factor in the insane amount of paid days off they receive (along with their paid detail scam)....

<quoted text>Its us honest, hardworking people out in the private sector who are REALLY getting the shaft...we have the unemployed freeloaders over on one side and the overly compensated public state and local fatcats on the other side..the cops and their pension plans are a great example of what I am saying. Jeeze, even the cops who haven't moved on to the lavish lifestyle of a retired cop are overly compensated; especially when you factor in the insane amount of paid days off they receive (along with their paid detail scam)....

<quoted text>Its us honest, hardworking people out in the private sector who are REALLY getting the shaft...we have the unemployed freeloaders over on one side and the overly compensated public state and local fatcats on the other side..the cops and their pension plans are a great example of what I am saying. Jeeze, even the cops who haven't moved on to the lavish lifestyle of a retired cop are overly compensated; especially when you factor in the insane amount of paid days off they receive (along with their paid detail scam)....

I guess you are in the wrong profession to complain this much. One would think that after being in the pick up empty cans out of trash barrells profession for so many years you would have figured out there's not a lot of money in it. I hope you have a big trashbag full of empty coke cans stashed away for your retirement.

Nobody ever said you can't get a Government job either state or local. Stop your crying and make something of yourself.

I suppose working until you're 50 and getting 80% is a little more respectable than never working a day in your life and collecting 100% of free welfare stuff every week since you were 18.

Unfunded pension liabilities are crushing the states. When you say "a little more respectable" I'm not sure I agree. Politicians get support from the unions, the unions get rewarded by the politicians. Politicians just want to be re-elected, they don't care about taxpayers.

<quoted text>I guess you are in the wrong profession to complain this much. One would think that after being in the pick up empty cans out of trash barrells profession for so many years you would have figured out there's not a lot of money in it. I hope you have a big trashbag full of empty coke cans stashed away for your retirement.Nobody ever said you can't get a Government job either state or local. Stop your crying and make something of yourself.

You got lost somewhere in the confusion. Do yourself a favor a reacquaint yourself with the positions of others. Darn Tootin was in opposition of (his/her perception of) excessive benefits of municipal and state law enforcement. He is fully employed, a property owner, and taxpayer. This was established several years back - before he changed his name.

I'm neutral here, but if there's a discussion to be had, it ought to be on level ground. He (she?)'s not the one to go after for living the welfare life and is allowed the valid point here.

Going forward we are all going to feel this pinch for underfunded pension systems and need to be heard in the discussion, so helpful comments welcome.

It is still curious why this legislature gets so close to reform (remember the EBT photo debacle?) and withdraws.

<quoted text>Its us honest, hardworking people out in the private sector who are REALLY getting the shaft...we have the unemployed freeloaders over on one side and the overly compensated public state and local fatcats on the other side..the cops and their pension plans are a great example of what I am saying. Jeeze, even the cops who haven't moved on to the lavish lifestyle of a retired cop are overly compensated; especially when you factor in the insane amount of paid days off they receive (along with their paid detail scam)....

Oh no, don't go that route. The private sector just doesn't advertise their benefits because it is not public information. I don't see anyone making the salary of a private company CEO in the public sector. And yes they are private sector workers, they are not any different than a Police Chief, Mayor or even a Governor.

There are many in the private sector too that are overly compensated. Take a ride to Waltham and visit Teledyne or Boston Scientific. Starting salary is $280K-$400K a year. Most them bank half their pay and retire in the 40's.

Their parking lots are full of BMW's and Mercedes. The private sector has even more overly compensated employees but the big difference is, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THEM, because it is not public information. There are more overpaid paper pushers in the private sector than public workers.

There are private sector workers becoming multi-millionaires and even billionaires now. They may not be the ones pumping gas but it is still the private sector. The CEOs of Coca Cola, Disney, Comcast are earning $30-$40 million per year. Why should I pay for their pensions and salaries?

Don't forget about those years back in the 80's when the Digital workers were driving their big luxury cars and owned those big homes. They worked 3-4 hours a day and socialized the rest of the day. They stated they could never be cops or firefighters because of the low pay.

Well sorry times have changed and people didn't think that many jobs would be lost and companies would tank their 401k's. So this is now the "target the public workers" syndrome because why should they have a pension and I cannot.

Most companies keep their employees at 38 hours so they don't have to pay health insurance and they dissolve their positions when they get near retirement age. Oh well. The private sector had a good run for many years but because that is over don't start looking at the public workers.

It's all about welfare now. The public sector hasn't changed. Welfare and the private sector has changed. People working two jobs to make ends meet are now in line at the grocery store with a welfare recipient and their $400 carriage/carriages of groceries.

It is still all about the freeloaders. I would rather pay for public workers than for someone who can sleep in until noontime, get free rent and utilities (section 8), get free food (Black Diamond steaks and ribs), get free daycare and transportation (so they can stay home by themselves), get free education (subsidized welfare training programs at colleges), get free cell phones, get free healthcare ($1800 each ambulance ride).

Anyone who has a job should only be looking at the welfare population now.

You can't really compair Fitchburg and Leominster. Leominster has less people but more people that pay a higher percentage rate on property taxes due to assements. Leominster has more business' that are paying to the city a heck of a lot more than Fitchburg has. Leominster is easier to maintain than Fitchburg as far as roads and buildings go. Therefore Leominster has more money to cover pensions than Fitchburg.

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